Well, here's the first trial !

4:09pm Friday 26th October 2007

Hello there !

My name's Rob (as hopefully my profile shows....).

This is my first attempt using this system, so please bear with me !

My intention is to try and keep my blogging up to date and perhaps note down a few things about the World as I see it and in particular issues of relevance to Herefordshire.

The very first thing I will say is in regards to a local author by the name of Phil Rickman (fresh in my mind as I am reading one of his books at the moment). The only reason I mention him is that today I've been to Stokesay Castle in Shropshire and on the way back stopped off in Ludlow - briefly anyway, as I could find nowhere to park ! Ludlow is the area of interest in one of Mr Rickman's books 'Smile of a Ghost'. Reading such a book, and having knowledge of the places really helps make the stories come alive. The relevance to Hereford is that, though they are works of fiction, his books are very much Herefordshire-centric and are inspired by Herefordshire folklore.

One of his more famous characters is a lady of the cloth by the name of Merrily Watkins. In the Rickman novels, Merrily is a 'Diocesan Deliverance Minister' operating under the auspices of our own Hereford Cathedral and is administrated out of the Bishop's Palace.

If you are Herefordian or live in Herefordshire, it's worth popping down to the library or bookshop to check out his books. You will look at some of the Herefordshire features in a totally different light afterwards !

Anyway, enough rambling about books.....I'm gonna leave this, my first entry, as it is and continue on later in more sensational blogging !! (I bet you can hardly wait !)

Until then.......